UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's lacrosse and head coach Jeff Tambroni have announced the addition of Joe Bucci to the Nittany Lions coaching staff. Bucci spent the past six seasons at UMBC, where he helped the Retrievers' defensive unit establish itself as one of the best in the country.
"Our staff is thrilled to announce the addition of Joe Bucci to our coaching staff," Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni said. "He is a proven and compassionate leader whose values align with our staff and team. He is organized, well prepared, and has a track record of defensive success. We believe that Joe will have an immediate and long-term impact on our student-athletes here at Penn State."
Bucci joined the UMBC coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 2017 and spent two seasons in that role. He was elevated to assistant coach in 2019 and then took over the defense for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Retrievers had the sixth-ranked scoring defense in the nation and were the America East regular season co-champions in 2021. They posted the nation's ninth-ranked scoring defense and advanced to the America East Tournament championship game in 2022.
During Bucci's time as defensive coordinator, he helped guide three defensive players to the All-America East first team, four to the second team, and two to the All-Rookie Team. He was the goalie coach for all six seasons and mentored Tom Lingner to a top-10 ranking in GAA average four times, including the nation's best GAA in 2018.
Prior to his time as the defensive coordinator, Bucci assisted as the Retrievers finished first in the nation in scoring defense in 2018 and sixth in 2019. They won the 2019 America East Tournament title and went on to defeat Marist in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bucci was a team captain of the Georgetown men's lacrosse team during his junior and senior seasons in 2015-16. He was a three-year starter in the midfield for the Hoyas and earned second-team All-Big East recognition in 2016 after leading the team with 20 goals.
A two-time graduate of Georgetown, Bucci earned a bachelor's degree in government in 2015 and a master's degree in professional studies: sports industry management in 2016. He served as the lacrosse program's representative to the student-athlete advisory council and was a two-time Academic All-Big East honoree.
